


Take Me Home

by Chwyrligwgan88



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bad Flirting, Dancing, Drinking & Talking, F/M, Flirting, Male Friendship, Multi, Mystery Character(s), Other, Slow Dancing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:46:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25586149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chwyrligwgan88/pseuds/Chwyrligwgan88
Relationships: EDI/Jeff "Joker" Moreau, Kaidan Alenko/Female Shepard
Kudos: 3





	Take Me Home

Kaidan stood at the bar as he waited for the bartender to complete his order. His eyes scanned over the bar half taking in the other revealers energetic dancing to the thumping beat. His eyes came to rest on his friends table at the back of the club just in time for Jenkins to be turned down yet again. He was a nice kid, a little over eager but unfortunately the opposite sex turned out to be his kryptonite. He clearly was not going to give up on his pursuit though even if it ended in rejection time and time again. Kaidan had to admire his resolve.

Kaidan turned back towards the bar and leant on his elbows. Clubs were typically not his thing but when your friend demands to go for his birthday what are you going to do? So here he was surrounded by drunk sweaty strangers listening to music that sounded like a typewriter having a fight with a hand drill. This was definitely going to be a headache later.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a bloke on the other side of the bar unashamedly checking him out. He tried to not to draw more attention and to play it cool by pretending he had not noticed. He skimmed his eyes over the bottles above the bar. It was unavailable that they would catch each others eye and Kaidan cordially nodded his head as the other man shot him a million dollar smile.

The bartender returned with his order and he handed over the cash to pay.

“Have one for yourself!” Kaidan shouted over the music as the bartender smiled at him and walked over to the till. 

“You didn't get yourself anything”, Kaidan pointed out as she handed him her change.

“It was sweet of you but I can't drink when I am on the clock”, she offered him a tired grateful smile.

“How about when you are off the clock? What is your poison of choice?” Kaidan asked not caring about the swell of people beginning to surround him, jostling to get to the bar. 

“You don't have to you know?” she shot back.

“I know”, Kaidan stated matter of factly, “So...?”

“OK OK you win... I will have a Paloma. Thank you”, she said with a grateful smile. As Kaidan passed her the money for her drink she added, “You are too pure for this world you know that!”

“So I have been told”, Kaidan answered with a playful smile and made his way back towards his friends expertly weaving through the crowd. 

What was that? What are you doing? He asked himself, thoughts running through his head. Where you flirting with her? You always do this... sort of initiate something and then... nothing. Come on man sort your head out first and then maybe try again at life. He glanced back at the bar and his eyes found her immediately, her blue hair a beacon in the crowd. He had to admit he found her attractive but she seemed unsure of herself and a little bookish... and he had to admit he preferred adventurous women. His thoughts shattered by a forceful clout to his shoulder.

“Oh my god I am so sorry! Are you OK?” A worried face appeared in his vision, voice full of concern.

“Hey no worries I'm good!” Kaidan reassured him gesturing with his unspilled drinks to underline his statement and then made his way towards his friends. Not dwelling on the fact that the attractive guy winked at him as they parted.

Kaidan placed the drinks on the table and shot a question at Joker, “What’s wrong with him?” he gestured towards Jenkins with his glass of scotch before taking a drink.

“Still no luck”, Joker answered Kaidan was sure he was holding back a laugh.

Jenkins must have picked up on Jokers glee and shot up out of his chair quietly sulking, eyes scanning out into the throng of people on the dance floor.

“Come on dude sit down relax and have a drink”, Kaidan said as he slipped a beer across the table towards him. 

He slumped back into his seat and took a long gulp of his beer. The bottle hit the table hard and he turned his gaze towards Kaidan.

“It is OK for you!” He stated abruptly,

“Me?” Kaidan questioned around a surprised laugh.

“You never have any trouble. People hit on you all the time. I... I bet you had numerous propositions and proposals of marriage on your way to get drinks”, Jenkins proclaimed sounding not to dissimilar to toddler throwing a tantrum.

“Come on man do you know how ridiculous you sound?”

“How do you do it?” Jenkins turned to look at him wonder. “What makes you so irresistible? Why are you so in demand and... and well I'm just me. A loser”. 

“You are not a loser you are just trying to hard. You need to get out of your head and relax a bit. Just go with the flow and enjoy yourself. Stop fixating!”

“Yeah OK... I... I am going to go and get some air. See you in a bit.”

They watched Jenkins disappear into the crowd fighting his way towards the exit in total silence. Kaidan's eyes again scanned over the crowd again once again resting on the glimpse of blue hair moving around the bar. 

“He is right you know?” Joker's voice cut through his thoughts.

“I'm sorry?” Kaidan asked bemused as he turned to look at his friend.

“Look I know you don't do it on purpose but you do draw attention everywhere you go”, Joker answered with an uneasy look on his face.

“I can not help the way I look!” Kaidan almost scoffed in response. “What do you want me to do about my face?”

“It's not just about your face”, Joker responded whilst taking a long sip of his beer. “It's... It's all of you... Your tall, dark, handsome, in great shape and you so god damn charming.”

“Oh his that all”, Kaidan answered incredulously through a laugh.  
“I know it is stupid... But sometimes it can be a right pain in the arse”, Joker offered almost apologetically.

“Well in future I will try and be less myself”, Kaidan stated as he drank his scotch.

“No that's not... Fuck!” Joker turned his attention over to the dance floor,

They sat in an awkward silence for seemed like hours. Sipping their respected drinks they observed the masses as they manipulated their bodies rhythmically, and in some cases not so much, to music on the dance floor. Kaidan caught sight of a group of young men enthusiastically attempting a complicated series of break dancing moves to impress a nearby table of women. Ah the folly of youth he thought with a whimsical laugh and a shake of his head.

“Look I am sorry OK. I am just being a dick”.

Joker's voice cut through his thoughts and he turned towards his friend with a warm smile on his face.

“It is OK”, he replied. “I kind of get it.”

Both men shared a familiar brotherly smile and fell into a comfortable silence. 

“Hey I return with a peace offering”, Jenkins announced loudly as he set the tray of drinks onto the table.

“What the hell is all of this?” Joker asked incredulously 

“Shots of Sambuca and Jagermeister!” He answered gleefully as he lined up the afore mentioned shots in front of each of them.

“Great”, Kaidan conceded with a slight uneasiness. 

“Come on it is going to be fun!”

It might be all fun and games now but the hang over on top of the already emerging head ache tomorrow is going to be nothing short of a nightmare. Saying that the alcohol had its desired effect as each of their inhibitions lowered as a sense of relaxation and easiness fell over the group.

“Right time to get back into the game!” Jenkins announced to the table and pushed himself to a standing position with both hands on the table. “Starting with the beautiful stranger with the bob cut sat at the corner table”.

“You got no chance”, Joker pointed out. “I have watched five guys ask her already and she has turned them all down”.

“She has not met me yet”, Jenkins replied as the two men shared an amused look. “Why were you watching here anyway. You and Edi good?”

“I was not watching here I happened to notice the string of disappointed guys leave the table. To answer your question Edi and I are fine. No we are better than fine great even. I mean she is smart, funny and most importantly she is into spaceships. I totally lucked out man!”

“I am going to ask her I will see you guys in a little bit.”

They watched as he made his way over to the woman as she sat unaware laughing with her friends and they watched him meet the same fate as all the other failed suitors. Kaidan's eyes never left the stranger. As soon as his eyes found her in the crowd it was as if no one else mattered. Even though her hair was now shockingly purple in colour and cut short to frame her face he knew her instantly.

“So how did it go?” Joker asked as Jenkins slumped back into his chair with an unmistakable air of disappointment.

“Shut up!” He snarled in response. “Just let me wallow in self pity and get drunk.”

“I did try to warn you before hand,” Joker pointed out. “I mean not even pretty boy here would succeed in getting that woman to dance with him.”

“I'm sorry what?” Kaidan turned to his friend.

“Look some of the guys that have already asked her have been practically Adonis’s. I mean you are pretty but you are not pretty enough to get her to want to dance with you.' 

Kaidan downed the rest of his scotch and looked back over at the woman. “She will dance with me.”

“Yeah I am loving the confidence but you have no chance”, Joker guffawed.

“I bet you she will dance with me”, Kaidan stated adamantly.

“Be my guest”, Joker said as he gestured toward the woman’s direction with a flourish of his arm. 

His body instinctively moved towards the woman taking no notice of Joker and Jenkins as they eagerly watched him make his way across the club. He arrived the table just as she turned to look up at him with a dazzling smile.

“May I have this dance?” he asked as he held out his hand for her.

Joker and Jenkins stared dumbstruck as they watched her take his hand and let him lead her to the dance floor. 

“How the hell does he do it?” Jenkins asked in disbelief.

“I honestly have no idea”, Joker answered in a similar state of shock.


End file.
